steering column woes

[Hugo]

More weird stuff. I went to fit the steering column to the rack, only to find that the pinion spline is too long - it almost abuts the u/j and prevents it from moving more than a few degrees in one plane. I had to chop 3/8" off the end of the pinion shaft to get it to work. Why?
And then, having fitted a new steering column housing (next to the pedal box) made out of some fancy plastic which looks MUCH better than fibreglass, I fitted the rubber gaiter pointing towards the engine bay, as I've seen them that way before. But now it won't go over the column, not unless I turn the seal/gaiter round so it points toward the footwell.
Which is correct?

[johnetype]

More weird stuff. I went to fit the steering column to the rack, only to find that the pinion spline is too long - it almost abuts the u/j and prevents it from moving more than a few degrees in one plane. I had to chop 3/8" off the end of the pinion shaft to get it to work. Why?

I offer four possible reasons:

You hadn't loosened the upper UJ so that it too could slide on the splines. When you fit the steering column you need to anchor the UJ to the steering column pinion so it doesn't bind - as you found out - and then use the free movement in all the other splines to let it all fit together.

Your steering rack mounts are much thinner than they should be.

The nylon plugs in the collapsible part of the column have been sheared and the length extended.

You've a repro part somewhere in the steering column assembly that isn't the correct length.

I know from my own Series 2 LHD to RHD conversion that moving the steering column over using all the original parts including the steering column pinion, they fit together perfectly.

With the steering column fitted correctly you can get the gaiter to fit facing either way. In my case I fitted two, one facing each way to improve the sealing. There is debate on here and elsewhere over which way the gaiter was fitted by the factory and when. Both options appear to have been used at some time in the cars production history.

John

[christopher storey]

I am sorry to say that "chopping 3/8" off the pinion spline" sounds to me like a recipe for a very dangerous disaster. In doing so have you cut into the detent which takes the interference bolt which holds the column to the rack ? If so the consequences could be catastrophic

[Hugo]

I'm not that stupid! The spline pokes out about half an inch into the void till it hits the spider, or it did - now about 1/8". I've sussed the rest of the problem - the steering column had been fitted upside down, so I just put it back the same way initially.

[johnetype]

One bonus is that you'll now have the clearance to be able to fit a grease nipple to the lower UJ which is a good thing as in my experience that's the one that wears.

John

[Hugo]

How accessible would it be when the car is assembled? Plenty of room with the engine etc out of the way
It turns out that I never even took the 'bottom' u/j off the column (I can tell that because, having now removed it, the spline is dry whereas I always grease things when they go back together) - I just painted it as an assembly & fitted it upside down, which is how I took it off! It must have been working like that, though I'll bet the steering was a bit notchy!

[johnetype]

With an angled nipple, you can get to it through the gap between the picture frame and the radiator.

John